Typewriter space bar and escapement mechanism



July 5, 1949. J. F. KocA TYPEWRITER SPACE BAR AND ESCAPEMENT MECHANISM Filed March 15, 1946 Patented July 5, 1949 TYPEWRITER SPACE BAR AND ESCAPEMENT MECHANISM James F. Koca, Woodstock, Ill., assignor to Woodstock Typewriter Company, Woodstock, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application March 15, 194.6, Serial No. 654,620

11 Claims.

This invention relates, in general, to typewriters, but more specifically to the escapement mechanism for the carriage, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide an improved mechanism whereby both a partial and a full escapement of the carriage will be obtained upon depression of the spacer bar, with the result that a correct spacing of the letters will be insured.

A further object is to provide an improved escapement mechanism of this character, which will be of a simple, durable and compact construction, and effective and efficient in operation.

To the attainment of these ends, and the accomplishm'ent of other new and useful objects as will appear, the invention consists in the features of novelty in substantially the construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts, hereinafter more fully described and claimed, and shown in the accompanying drawing illustrating this invention, in which Fig. 1 is a rear fragmentary perspective View of a portion of a typewriter, showing one form of escapement mechanism, constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention, applied thereto.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail View of the structure shown in Fig. 1, showing the parts in the positions they will assume when the spacer bar is partially depressed and the first part of the escapement action has taken place.

Fig. 3 is an elevational view, with parts in section, of another form of escapement embodying this invention.

It is well known that a speedy operator sometimes will depress a character key immediately following the operation or depression of the spacer bar, and before the carriage escapement action under the control of the spacer bar has been fully completed. The result is that the characters will be incorrectly spaced. This dif" culty and objection will be avoided by the present invention, which provides for both a partial and full escapement movement of the paper carriage upon depression of the space bar, and before the latter is released, with the result that a full escapement is effected by the time that the character key can be depressed following a space bar operation.

In the drawing, the numeral l designates the space bar, which, upon actuation, will cause the carriage (not shown) to be moved step by step to the left. The numeral designates an escapement wheel connected to a shaft [2, in the usual manner well known in this art. A pinion H3 is supported by the shaft for rotation therewith, and meshes with a rack l4, carried by the paper carriage, that travels in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, and which movement is accomplished by the usual spring driven mechanism (not shown), or in any other suitable manner. The constant tendency of the escapement wheel H to rotate under this influence is controlled by escapement dogs |'5-|6.

These escapement dogs are carried by an escapement member I1, which is pivotally supported, as at l8, upon a shaft (not shown) for rocking movement, the dog l5 being movably connected to the member l1, and the dog I6 being fixed with respect thereto. The carriage is given an escapement movement by a rocking movement of the support H. A spring It tends normally to move the support I! about its pivot in one direction, and the support is moved in the opposite direction upon depression of the spacer bar I0.

The spacer bar I0 is connected with a shaft 25.1, suitably supported for rocking movement, and connected to the shaft, for movement therewith, is an arm 2| which, with the spacer bar Hi, is given a return movement by means of a spring 22. The arm'2l is spaced from the support H, and mounted upon the arm, for movement there with and with respect thereto, such as by means of a pivotal connection 23, is a lever member iii. The lever is also yieldably connected with the arm 2 i, preferably at the ends thereof, by means of a resilient element, such as a spring 25, which operates as a snapover spring for moving the lever 24 with respect to the arm 2|. The lever is provided with a slot 26, into which a lug or projection 21 on the arm 2| projects, and the slot is of a length to permit of such relative movement of the lever with respect to the arm.

Connected to the support I! by one end thereof, as at 28, is a rod or link 29, which is also connected intermediate its ends, as at 3B, with the lever 24, preferably by forming a loop in the rod, to engage a projection on the lever. This connection, however, may be formed in any other suitable manner so as not to interefere with the relative movement of the lever with respect to the arm 2|. The fore end of the rod or link is preferably deflected or bent, as at 3|, adapted to engage a stop 32, to limit the movement of the dog support I! in one direction.

The normal relative positions of the parts are as shown in Fig. 1, and in full lines in Fig. 2; that is, with the dog IS in engagement with one of the teeth of the ratchet wheel H, and with the lever 24 in a position with respect to the arm 2|, so that the pin or projection 21 will be at the inner end of the slot 26, and the spacer bar l raised.

Upon depression of the spacer bar, the shaft will be rocked in a clockwise direction, carrying with it the lever 24, and rocking the support so as to move the dog If: out of engagement with the tooth of the ratchet wheel, permitting the escapement wheel I l' to rotate in clockwise direction into engagement with the fixed dog l6, which latter, when the support I1 is thus rocked, will be moved into a position to be engaged by a tooth of the escapement wheel. This operation will result in a partial escapement action, and the rack i4 and paper carriage will be moved or advanced to the left a part of a space. Upon disengagement of the dog I5, the dog IE will be so positioned that upon restoration of the support I"! to its normal position, the dog |6 will be disengaged from the tooth of the ratchet wheel, and the dog l5 will be moved into active position in front of the next advancing tooth of the escapement ratchet wheel. As the dog i6 is released, as above described, the escapement or ratchet wheel II will be rotated in a clockwise direction until the next advancing tooth engages the dog l5. This will complete a full escapement movement, or the movement of the paper carriage for one full space.

The spacer bar embodies side bars or arms 33, that are secured to the rocker shaft 20, to which the arm 2| is secured, so that when the space bar i6 is in a partially depressed position, or far enough to move the arm 2| a suflicient distance to position the dog IS in the path of movement of the advancing tooth of the ratchet wheel I the snapover spring will become active and will cause the lever 24 to snap over with respect to the arm 2|, and about its pivot 23, so that the spring I9 will rock the dog support in a clockwise direction to position the dog I 5 to be engaged by the next advancing tooth of the ratchet wheel. This will effect escapement of the carriage for one full space. The inward movement of the lever 24 will be arrested by the end 3| of the rod or link 29, engaging the stop 32.

Upon return movement of the spacer bar, and the movement of the arm 2| in the opposite direction, the arresting movement of the lever 24 will cause the snapover spring 25 to position the lever 24 and arm 2| in the proper relative position for another depressing movement of the spacer bar; that is, so that the lug or projection 21 will engage the other end of the slot 26, as shown in full lines in Fig. 2.

In the form of the invention shown in Fig. 3, the arm 34 is fixed to the shaft 35, and the lever 36 is loose upon the shaft, the rod or link 29 being connected intermediate its ends, as at 31, with the lever. Pivotally mounted upon the arm 34, and intermediate its ends, as at 38, is a catch 39, which is also resiliently connected with the arm by means of a spring 40. A shoulder 4|, on one side of the pivot of the catch, is adapted to engage a lug or projection 42 on the lever 36. At the other end of the catch is an a liustable stop 43, adapted to contact a fixed stop 44.

In operation, and with this form of the invention, upon depression of the spacer bar ill, the arm 34 will be rocked to the left, as shown in Fig. 3, carrying with it the lever 36, through the medium of the catch 39 and the shoulder 4|, which engages the lug 42. Such movement of the lever 36 will rock the dog support I! in a counter-clockwise direction, to position the dog 5 in the path of movement of an advancing tooth of the ratchet wheel II. This movement of the lever 36 and arm 34 will continue until the stop 43 engages the stop 44. A continued movement of these parts in the same direction will cause the catch 39 to be swung about its pivot 38, which will lower the shoulder 4| of the catch until it is moved out of contact with the lug 42, and against the stress of the spring 40'. This will release the lever 36, which, being loose upon the shaft 35, will be moved backwardly under stress of the spring i9, and allow the dog support to swing about its pivot IE, to complete the escapement movement of the carriage one full space, and upon the complete depression of the spacer bar I0.

While the preferred forms of the invention have been herein shown and described, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, within the scope of the claims, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

What is claimed as new is:

1. In a typewriter escapement mechanism, a rock shaft. an arm on said rock shaft rockable therewith between predetermined limits to efiect a complete escapement movement of said mechanism, a depressible space bar for rocking said shaft and, arm, a rockable escapement dog-carrying member, means connecting said dog-carrying member and said arm, said means embodying as a unitary structure, an element movable with and with respect to said arm, and yieldable means carried by and forming an interconnection between said arm and said element, whereby said arm and said element will be moved a predetermined distance together, said yieldable means adapted to become operable when said arm is moved a predetermined distance in one direction, for effecting movement of said element with respect to said arm in a direction opposite to the direction of the said movement of said arm.

2. In a typewriter escapement mechanism, an arm rockable between predetermined limits to effect a complete escapement movement, a depressible spacer bar, a connection between said bar and arm for rocking the latter, a lever pivotally mounted upon said arm for movement therewith and with respect thereto, an escapement dog-carrying member, means connecting said member with said lever, and a snapover connection between said arm and lever, said snapover connection operating at a predetermined point in the movement of said arm, to shift said lever with respect to said arm and in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the said arm.

3. In a typewriter escapement mechanism, an arm rockable between predetermined limits to effect a complete escapement movement, a depressible spacer bar, a connection between said bar and arm for rocking the latter, a lever pivotally mounted upon said arm for movement therewith and with respect thereto, an escapement dog-carrying member, means connecting said member with said lever, a snapover connection between said arm and lever, said snapover connection operating at a predetermined point in the movement of said arm, to shift said lever with respect to said arm and in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the said arm, and means for limiting the movement of the said lever with respect to the said arm.

4. In a typewriter escapement mechanism, an arm rockable between predetermined limits to effect a complete escapement movement, a depressible spacer bar, a connection between said bar and arm for rocking the latter, a lever pivotally mounted upon said arm for movement therewith and with respect thereto, an escapement dog-carrying member, means connecting said member with said lever, a snapover connection between said arm and lever, said snapover connection operating at a predetermined point in the movement of said arm, to shift said lever with respect to said arm and in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the said arm, a pin and slot connection between the arm and lever for limiting the movement of the lever with respect to the arm in one direction, and a stop device for limiting the movement of the lever with respect to the arm in the opposite direction.

5. In a typewriter escapement mechanism, a spacer bar controlled mechanism for actuating the escapement dog-carrying member, said mechanism embodying a rocker arm controlled by the spacer bar, a lever pivotally mounted upon said arm for bodily movement therewith and for movement with respect thereto, means connecting said lever with said dog-carrying member, a pin and slot formation between the lever and said arm, and a s'napover spring connection between the arm and lever for imparting a movement to said lever with respect to the arm, and in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of the arm, when the latter reaches a predetermined point in its movement by the spacer bar.

6. In a typewriter escapement mechanism, a rock shaft, an arm on said rock shaft rockable therewith between predetermined limits to effect a complete escapement movement of said mechanism, a depressible space bar for rocking said shaft and arm, a rockable escapement dog carrying member, means connecting said dog carrying member and said arm, said means embodying as a unitary structure an element movable with and with respect to said arm, yieldable means carried by and forming an interconnection between said arm and said element, whereby said arm and said element will be moved a predetermined distance together, said yieldable means adapted to become operable when said arm is moved a predetermined distance in one direction, for effecting movement of said element with respect to said arm in a direction opposite to the direction of the said movement of said arm, and means for limiting the movement of said element with respect to the arm in both directions.

7. In a typewriter escapement mechanism, a member rockable between predetermined limits to effect a complete escapement movement of said mechanism, a second rockable member movable with and with respect to said first member, a depressible spacer bar connected to said first member for rocking it, a movable dog carrying element, means connecting said element with said second member, and means connecting said members together for movement in unison in one direction, and operating to cause the said members to be relatively rocked in opposite directions when one of said members has been rocked a predetermined distance, the last recited means embodying a snap-over spring.

8. In a typewriter escapement mechanism, a rock shaft, an arm on said shaft rockable therewith between predetermined limits to effect a complete escapement movement of said mechanism, a second rocker arm, said second arm being carried by and movable with respect to said first arm, a depressible spacer bar connected to said rock shaft for rocking it, a rockable dog carrying element, means connecting said element with said second arm, and means carried entirely by both of said arms and connecting them for movement in unison, said means operating to cause the said arms to be relatively rocked in opposite directions when said first arm has been rocked a predetermined distance.

9. In a typewriter escapement mechanism, a member rockable between predetermined limits to effect a complete escapement movement of said mechanism, a second rockable member, said second member being pivotally mounted upon the first member for movement therewith and with respect thereto, a depressible spacer bar connected to said first member for rocking it, a rockable dog carrying element, means connecting said element with said second member, means connecting said members for movement in unison and operating to cause the said members to be relatively rocked in opposite directions when said first member has been rocked a predetermined distance, the last said means embodying a snapover spring, and means for causing said snapover spring to become active.

10. In a typewriter escapement mechanism, a member rockable between predetermined limits to effect a complete escapement movement of said mechanism, a second rockable member, a depressible spacer bar connected to said first member for rocking it, a movable dog carrying element, means connecting said element with said second member, means connecting said members for movement in unison and operating to cause the said members to be relatively rocked in opposite directions when said first member has been rocked a predetermined distance, the last said means embodying a snap-over spring, and means embodying a pin and slot connection between said members for limiting such relative movement.

11. In a typewriter escapement mechanism, a spacer bar controlled mechanism for actuating the escapement dog carrying member, said mechanism embodying a rocker arm controlled by the spacer bar, a lever pivotally mounted upon said arm for bodily movement therewith and for movement with respect thereto, means connecting said lever with said dog carrying member, and a snap-over spring connection between the arm and lever for imparting a movement to said lever with respect to said arm and in a direction opposite to the direction of movement of said arm when the latter reaches a predetermined point in its movement by the spacer bar.

JAMES F. KOCA.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 576,287 Stickney Feb. 2, 1897 576,329 Stickney Feb. 2, 1897 1,062,835 McLaughlin May 27, 1913 2,055,561 Saunders Sept. 29, 1936 2,079,013 Hart May 4, 1937 

